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Patients falling through cracks in Erie St. Clair because of too few staff, ONA says

For the first time in its history, the Ontario Nurses' Association is calling in a third-party panel to help resolve a dispute at a community care access centre.

Patients are falling through the cracks because of inadequate staffing at the Erie St. Clair CCAC, said Linda Haslam-Stroud, president of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA).

Care coordinators — nurses, physiotherapists, social workers and others who coordinate patient care plans — are burdened with up to 267 patients each in the region, which includes Essex, Kent and Lambton counties, she said. That results in delays.

“If (patients are) not being reassessed so we can assure they have the right care (at home), they're going into the emergency department,” she said.

That means more burden on hospital staff, higher costs, and more strained care.

“We need to ensure the base staffing is there so our patients are appropriately cared for,” Haslam-Stroud said, noting ONA — which represents care coordinators — is also concerned that secretaries have been providing some initial assessments, “which is totally inappropriate,” she said.

So, after 18 months of failed internal negotiations, the union has called in an independent assessment committee — a trio of independent nurses who were scheduled to listen to both sides Wednesday and Thursday in Windsor.

“This is the first time we've ever gone to an independent assessment committee for a CCAC,” Haslam-Stroud said, comparing the process to a mini court case.

“It's very significant,” she said, noting it's a last resort. “We don't take going to an independent assessment committee lightly.”

Written recommendations are expected in about two months, she said.

The union is looking for another 12 care coordinators, but adding staff has budget implications, said Lori Marshall, CEO of the Erie St. Clair CCAC.

Wages range roughly from $32-$50 per hour, depending on level of education.

Other options on the table include better processes to lessen the burden, and moving staff around if necessary, Marshall said.

“We'll look forward to maybe some expert advice to help us identify what would be the best way forward,” she said.

It's wasn't immediately clear exactly how many care coordinators currently work in Erie St. Clair, but there are about 260 ONA members there, said Marshall.

She conceded its a dubious distinction being the first CCAC forced to use an independent assessment committee, but pointed out Erie St. Clair is one of only three CCACs in Ontario with that option written into contract language. There are 14 CCACs altogether.

The committees have been used before to help resolve disputes in hospitals or long-term care homes, Haslam-Stroud said.

Responding to the union boss' contention that cost savings could be found within some of the 48 management positions there, Marshall — who started as CEO about six weeks ago — said administrative cost in the organization is below the provincial benchmark.

But, she said, it's fair to say all aspects of the organization should be considered.